


Time Travel Logs - Finding a New Mom

by cinder1013



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben uses his tentacles to do housework, Contains OCs, Fix-It, Gen, Klaus prefers the name Madonna, The children deserve goodness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-13 02:09:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18022829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinder1013/pseuds/cinder1013
Summary: Allison refuses to tell Vanya she’s ordinary. It’s a departure from the time continuum. It’s a really good departure.





	Time Travel Logs - Finding a New Mom

There are many points in which history can deviate. The Commission would have you belive time is an absolute. It’s more of a big ball of timey wimey stuff. They want it to be an absolute because they are fascist assholes. 

Let’s begin this departure at the moment in the horrible room when Sir Reginald, A+ parent, directs Allison (although she wasn’t Allison yet, just Three), to use her power on Vanya (still known as Seven) to make her ordinary. 

“Do it,” Sir Reginald directs. 

For a moment Three stands there. She has no other name yet. She has no other mother or other parent she knows. Then...history shifted.

“No.”

“What?”

Grace clapped. 

“No,” Three says again. Then she kicks the old man in the shins. “Everyone is special!” Grabbing Seven’s hand, she runs from the room, Seven stumbling behind her. As she leaves, she sees Mr. Pogo join in the clapping. 

Upstairs she calls out, “Academy Assemble!” 

“I don’t think we should do this,” Seven tells her. “Am I worth this?”

“Yes, you’re my sister.” Three looks around. “Academy assemble already!” 

“Why?” Two asked, leaning over the bannister. 

“Because we’re leaving! Duh!” 

“We can’t leave. Where would we go?” Seven asked. 

“I’m in!” Four yelled. “Let’s go anywhere but here!” He raced down the stairs, dragging Six behind him. 

“Fine, let’s go,” Two said, with a sigh. 

“I’m number one.” 

Two just looked at him. 

“Let’s go.” 

Two sighed again, but he and Five followed One down the stairs. 

“Don’t we need clothes and books and -“ Seven asked, even as Three dragged her out the door. 

“I think the first thing we need is names,” Four pointed out. “Everyone else we’ve met have names.” He looked around and then began confidently walking down the street. He didn’t take them far, just two blocks over to a woman who sat on her front stoop. She looked sad, watching the world go by with the red rimmed eyes of someone who had recently been crying. Four startled her by taking her worn hands in his own. 

“Hi, he loves you and he’s fine.” 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“He’s right next to you. What’s your name? Charles. He’s right here and he wants you to know he’s OK. And he wants you to be OK.” 

The woman shook, just staring at him. 

“My name is Four,” he said, smiling. “These are my brothers and sisters and we’re here to help you.” 

“How do you know Charles?” she asked. “Did you know him from school? I’ve never seen you before.” 

Four looked bashful. “I can see dead people. He’s right here and he loves you.” 

“Oh. I’m not sure I believe your tale, but you’re a nice boy. Have you and your friends had lunch?” 

“No, ma’am.” 

“Why don’t you all come inside? You can call me Frederica.” She turned and led the way into a cozy brownstone. “Charles was a good boy, but always a bit sickly. I should have ... I mean ... expected.” She took a deep breath and she showed them into the kitchen. The table only had chairs for four, but the kids didn’t mind standing. 

“I doubt it’s about expecting it,” Four told her, quite wisely. 

“May I ask how you came to be named Four?” Frederica asked as she began making some soup for lunch. The oven smelled of fresh bread. 

“That’s what Father called us, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven.” 

“Those aren’t very good names.” Frederica poured some tomato soup in a pot and then started buttering bread. 

“I’d like a name,” Two told her. 

“What would you like it to be?” 

“I get to pick?” 

“Not many people get to pick their own names,” she told him. “Pick something for now and if you change your mind, you can switch.” 

Two thought about that for a moment. “I’m from Spain. How about Jose?” 

“Jose it is,” she told him with a smile. 

“I want to be Ben, like Benji,” Ben said softly. Frederica still gave him a smile. 

“I’ll be Madonna!” Four announced. 

“Really? Madonna?” Three asked. 

“She’s awesome.” 

“She’s not.”

“She’s more awesome than you.” 

“Children,” Frederica admonished. “Here, have soup. Sandwiches coming up.” She served up seven bowls of soup. Madonna got the first sandwich. 

“It’s too hot,” Seven complained. 

“Stir it like this then,” Frederica said, showing her. “It won’t remain hot forever.” Gently she encouraged Seven to stir her soup and not get so frustrated. 

One just stared, not sure about this whole thing until a grilled cheese sandwich was put in front of him and then he was convinced that Frederica was the best person in the world. Still, he didn’t want a name. 

Three went through two names first, funny enough. “Courtney! No, Dana! No, Allison.” She admired herself in a mirror. “I think I look like an Allison.” Allison stuck. 

Madonna changed his name nearly every week - Eddie, Beth, Buffy, Sandy, Butch, Ru Paul - until he finally stuck with Chanel... no wait, Klaus. Klaus has style, he announced. “Not as much style as Madonna though. Or Chanel. I think I’m going with Chanel.” 

Five chose his name early, Earl. “I like it. It sounds distinguished.” 

“It sounds old,” Chanel said. 

“You’re a twit.” 

Jose changed his name to Diego because he liked it better. 

Frederica endured these name changes and these children and told her husband, “We have to take them in. Their father didn’t even give them names.” Her husband agreed. He was devastated after the loss of his child, Charles, too. 

Vanya was a sweet man. He’d come home to what he thought would be an empty house to having seven children and he treasured it. He especially enjoyed spending time with his namesake, Vanya, with whom he played chess. 

“I want to be Vanya,” Seven announced. “I want to be like Daddy.” They played every evening and he taught her about the game, but also about losing gracefully, about taking her time, having patience. “The softest hand strikes the hardest,” he would say. 

Still, One resisted getting a name. “It’s what I was named,” he said. 

After a few days Mom came by bearing a casserole and a friendly smile. “Hi, children. I thought you might enjoy some chicken cashew casserole.” Diego let her in. 

“So, Dad knows where we are?” he asked. 

“Of course he does. He says you’ll all get tired of this game and come home soon.” 

“Yeah, no, that’s not going to happen.” He turned around and yelled down the hallway, “Mom, it’s Mom!” 

In the kitchen, Frederica accepted the casserole with graceful aplomb. “You can’t have the children back. Won’t you stay for dinner?” 

“I would love to,” Grace told her. 

So, Grace sat with them for dinner. “I very much like your new names,” she said as she learned them all. “One? Aren’t you getting a name?” 

“Dad named me this.” 

Gracefully, Grace let that pass. 

After dinner, Ben did the dishes. “It’s the best,” he told Grace as he let loose his tentacles and they went to work. “I can use them to help people. I want to be a firefighter someday.” 

“That’s very nice, Ben.” 

Vanya played chess with Vanya and managed not throw the chess board across the room and break it when she lost. Vanya Sr. Chuckled quietly and complimented her. The praise made her smile. 

Chanel and Allison and One hung out on the porch and chatted. Diego came out with them, but spent most of his time shooting sticks at leaves, hitting the one he intended every time. 

“You know, we need a dog,” Diego said. 

“I don’t think we should make more work for Mom,” Chanel said. 

“I’ll take care of it.” 

“No you won’t.”

“Will so.” 

“I’ll help,” Allison said. She nudged One. 

“Yeah, sure.” 

They got a dog. A little, brown puppy with a white ruff on her chest and named her Elsie. Elsie loved everyone and jumped on everyone. She looked like a Lab mix, and they were pretty excitable. Diego liked to wrestle with her in the yard and play fetch and run with her. He took care of her too, much to Chanel’s amazement, but maybe Chanel shouldn’t have been so amazed. 

Chanel still saw dead people, but when he did, he ran to Frederica and climbed into her lap. She held him and rocked him and helped him talk to them. So many of them just wanted to talk, tell him their story. Some needed help and when he could he helped them get a message to someone or retrieve something. A few of them asked for revenge, but Frederica told the ghosts (despite not being able to see them) in no uncertain terms that Chanel was a child and they should take their perverted, evil ideas elsewhere - and she hugged Chanel tight. 

She told him once, when he was a lot older that he could chose to help those who wanted revenge, but she preferred he found ways that only helped those who deserved it and brought karma on the offender. It’s why Chanel became an amazing private investigator later in life.

They went to actual school in the fall. People only made fun of Chanel’s name once. Allison started a rumor than had everyone imitating chickens for 20 minutes. After that humiliation no one said another unkind word about it. In fact, after a few weeks they really warmed up to the new kids and Chanel became quite popular, as did Allison without the help of her powers at all. 

“Father’s not coming,” One said one day. 

“No, he’s not dear,” Frederica said, as she stood at the stove, stirring the spaghetti sauce for dinner. Grace had promised to bring the bread. She joined them for dinner most nights now, as did Mr. Pogo. 

One changed his name to Luther. 

Ben did grow up to be a firefighter, but he also got into cooking, so after a few years he went to culinary school and opened his own restaurant. His tentacles were an amazing help in the kitchen. He created the most amazing, artistic creations like edible balloons and exploding ice cream. 

Diego became a cop and he loved it. Chanel would drop in on him and his partner - later partner in more than one sense - Detective Patch, and help them solve crimes. Later he and Patch both agreed to go to law school and of course it was a competition to see who could get their j.d. first. When he got his degree he joined the firm Nelson and Murdoc. 

Luther became an astronaut and was the first man to go to Mars. 

Allison became a zoologist and ended up working at the Bronx Zoo. She came home every Friday for dinner with Frederica and Vanya, even after she married and had kids of her own. She very rarely used her power. She’d learned early on from Frederica what agency was and how her power could harm people. Also how it could help, but she reserved that for very special situations - mostly when some stupid individual was trying to climb into the tiger enclosure. Chanel always said she should save her breath. 

“If they’re that stupid, they deserve to be eaten.” 

Earl got his degree in business and then moved out to California to get in on this computer thing. He became the fastest talking and fasted moving venture capitalist investment consultant in Silicon Valley. 

Vanya became a chess grandmaster at the age of 23. Every game she played, she practiced mindfulness and calm. It helped her control her powers. That control allowed her to go out with Chanel sometimes and provide the muscle. She enjoyed that in a very different way. 

And they never went home again. They were home.


End file.
